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In the Quiet Room, only the soft sound of paper and brush could be heard. Four disciples knelt on the ground, each at a small table, focused intently on drawing talismans. Spirit Stone walked back and forth, often stopping beside one disciple to observe. Eventually, he lingered longer beside Chuxiong, his brow furrowing tighter.
Chuxiong grew increasingly nervous; his hand trembled, and large drops of bright red Vermilion fell from the tip of his Spell Pen, ruining the half-finished talisman he had drawn.
Spirit Stone's eyes widened in disbelief, and he opened his mouth to scold. However, seeing Chuxiong's helpless expression, he swallowed his words. Frustrated, he strode over to a small cabinet, took a stack of talisman paper, and returned to hand it to Chuxiong. "Take this! There’s plenty of paper, but you need to focus! You must think of it this way: pour all your spirit into the talisman; only then can the Spirit Talisman be effective!"
"But... Master, I get even more nervous with you standing next to me. Can you please move away?" Chuxiong said painfully, ruffling his hair in distress as he looked at Spirit Stone.
Spirit Stone paused, his eyes widening again in surprise. Ultimately, he did not explode in anger. He sighed and nodded slightly. "I'll go downstairs for some tea; that should be fine, right? I'm at my wit's end..." He mumbled as he swayed toward the staircase but turned back to shout, "No talking! Especially you, Old Six! If you dare teach Old Seven to cheat, watch out! My ears are sharp!"
Li Hong smiled wryly; what kind of situation was this?
Spirit Stone seemed to read Chuxiong's mind perfectly. The smile that had just appeared on Chuxiong's face froze as he became speechless. However, he did not give up; seeing Spirit Stone walk down the stairs, he quietly moved closer to Li Hong and signaled with his left hand for a "let me see" gesture.
Li Hong helplessly shifted his body slightly to the right and pushed the completed Golden Protective Talisman toward Chuxiong.
Chuxiong was overjoyed and leaned forward to examine it closely. Having some foundational knowledge, he quickly recalled what he had forgotten and began to write vigorously.
Li Hong took a deep breath and pulled over a sheet of yellow paper to draw another Swift Movement Talisman.
Although the Swift Movement Talisman was a low-level Spirit Talisman, it was quite practical and well-known in the Mortal Realm. It was said that many itinerant Taoists who made a living had this type of Spirit Talisman; once ignited and applied to themselves, they could "travel a thousand miles by day and eight hundred by night," which was quite impressive. Many people in the Mortal Realm could draw it; it was no longer rare. However, the Swift Movement Talisman passed down by Nine Li Sect was far superior to those inferior versions. Not only was its power incomparable; when infused with spiritual energy and applied to an ordinary person, it could allow them to walk for three days and nights across Middle-Earth without leaving any aftereffects—unlike those inferior versions that could leave one’s legs crippled from overexertion.
By modifying the design of this Swift Movement Talisman, another type of talisman emerged—the Shrink Earth Talisman. The Shrink Earth Talisman had far greater power than the Swift Movement Talisman and was a true Mid-Level Spirit Talisman. It allowed one to instantly arrive at another location. Thus, mastering the Swift Movement Talisman was essential for beginners in the Cultivation World so they could later draw the Shrink Earth Talisman based on it.
Li Hong had long since memorized the design. Soon enough, his Swift Movement Talisman was just two strokes away from completion. He carefully drew a large hook curving leftward without lifting his brush and added two small inverted gourd-shaped lines at the end of the hook before similarly drawing the strokes curving rightward. This Swift Movement Talisman was finally complete.
As Vermilion finished drawing it, its bright red color with hints of Azure Light looked beautiful against the stiff yellow paper. Li Hong pushed this Swift Movement Talisman toward the left side of the small table so that Chuxiong could easily see it clearly. When his fingertip touched the dried surface of the Swift Movement Talisman, it suddenly glimmered. Li Hong couldn't help but be taken aback.
It seemed as if the jade powder within Vermilion was sparkling; however, it felt different—almost as if in an instant, this Swift Movement Talisman became more vibrant and luminous. A faint Azure Light slid down from top to bottom across its surface.
What was happening? Li Hong reached out for the Swift Movement Talisman in his hand and examined it closely while shaking it slightly to see from different angles again.
At that moment, a cool sensation emerged from the Upper Dantian, and a gentle, warm chill autonomously activated, flowing along the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian to the Shao Shang Acupoint at the tip of the thumb. Li Hong's left thumb was pressing on the foot of the Swift Movement Talisman. A flash of Azure Light appeared, and the Swift Movement Talisman in his hand suddenly ignited.
In the blink of an eye, Li Hong felt as if he were holding a large fireball, causing him to jump up in fright and hurriedly shake his hand. Strangely, although the burning Swift Movement Talisman looked fierce with flames, it was not hot to the touch at all.
The Swift Movement Talisman burned rapidly, and in no time it was consumed, with a few strands of black ash slowly drifting past Li Hong's eyes. Just then, he suddenly felt as if something had been added to his body, an indescribable sensation that made him unconsciously take a step forward.
Realizing something was wrong with that step, his legs felt like they were loaded with gunpowder arrows, and with a whoosh, his body involuntarily leaped out of the window and soared into the air. He shouted out loud. Unfortunately, his legs seemed not to obey him at all and continued to move forward automatically, swiftly stepping into the void.
Li Hong was dumbfounded as he wildly waved his arms, watching helplessly as his legs moved rapidly one after another, sweeping past tall treetops and rooftops. He could only watch as he drifted further away from the Three-Story Pavilion, inexplicably flying toward the Nine Vermilion Peaks like a galloping horse. He vaguely heard Chuxiong inside the Three-Story Pavilion shouting in panic, "Senior Brother, come back!"
Cold sweat poured down him; what was happening! The wind roared past his ears as Li Hong was carried forward by his own legs. Although he eventually landed, he could not stop at all. He ran chaotically through the thickets without any sense of direction, getting scratched by countless branches that made him wince in pain.
A flash of red light appeared ahead; Spirit Stone stood on the Gale Fire Sword directly in front of him. Seeing a savior, Li Hong shouted in excitement and desperation, "Master, help me! I can't stop!"
Spirit Stone burst into laughter, almost gasping for breath from laughing so hard before finally saying, "Carefully observe my movements!"
Li Hong was still moving rapidly forward and nodded eagerly.
Spirit Stone formed a hand seal facing him and said, "Did you see it clearly? Do as I do!"
"Yes!" Li Hong raised his right hand; it was a very simple hand seal with his thumb and index finger interlocked while the other three fingers were slightly bent with the middle finger leading.
"Point to the left!" Spirit Stone commanded.
Li Hong followed instructions and pointed his slightly bent middle finger to the left. With a whoosh, his body unexpectedly turned sharply and was involuntarily carried by his legs to run quickly to the left. Li Hong gasped in surprise.
"Got it? Haha! Now try pointing to the right," Spirit Stone laughed while standing on the Flying Sword.
Li Hong complied and pointed to the right; suddenly his body turned sharply to the right as his legs swiftly crossed over each other and continued running right.
"Finally, point down toward your toes!" Spirit Stone shouted again.
Li Hong pointed a finger, and with a whoosh, his legs came together and stopped abruptly. His upper body leaned forward with force, crashing to the ground with a thud, and he ended up tasting dirt, seeing countless little stars flying before his eyes.
"Haha!" Spirit Stone laughed wildly as he flew over, reaching out to pull him up from the ground. "You silly boy! When did you have spiritual power in your body and not tell your master? You deserve this! You've really taken a big hit this time; haha, this will become a laughingstock from now on!" Spirit Stone laughed uncontrollably.
Spiritual power? Was that thin coolness the so-called spiritual power? Wasn't it called "Awareness"? Li Hong's mouth dropped open in shock.
******
"Who said that practicing the Six Spirit Salty Ritual wouldn't give you spiritual power? It's just that your kind of spiritual power is a bit special. The fact that you can activate low-level Spirit Talismans proves that you already have a preliminary amount of spiritual power within you! It seems your cultivation has reached the Initial Stage of Caution. Very good, I am pleased," Spirit Stone said with a smile while stroking his mouse whiskers.
A special kind of spiritual power... Li Hong was completely confused. Regardless, there was an important problem to solve now. He looked down at his two legs that were tightly together.
It had been two days since he inexplicably activated the Swift Movement Talisman the day before yesterday. For two consecutive days, he had been in agony. Whether eating, sleeping, or walking, those two legs felt like they weren't his own. To move, he had to use hand signs to direct them; the worst part was that once he started walking, it never seemed to end. He had to use hand signs again to stop himself, which would inevitably lead to him falling over. It was truly unbearable! When would he be able to reclaim control of his legs?
He looked at Spirit Stone with a troubled expression. "Master, think of a way... I can't practice my skills, can't eat or sleep normally, can't walk—it's driving me crazy!"
"It's fine, it's fine. In due time, the effect of the Swift Movement Talisman will naturally wear off. Besides, you drew this talisman yourself; how high is your cultivation level? Don't worry; I estimate it will be gone by tomorrow," Spirit Stone said enthusiastically as he looked at him.
Tomorrow! That meant one more day! Li Hong felt like he couldn't go on; he painfully pressed his thighs together, his body stiffened and dared not move. He knew that as soon as he moved, he would immediately start "moving like the wind" again.
"Your talisman drawing is really not bad! It can actually last for three days; that's impressive. I'm very satisfied," Spirit Stone chuckled happily, but those words seemed to pour oil on the fire.
Li Hong's mouth twitched downwards as he grumbled incessantly.
******
A few days later, Li Hong was still troubled by the activation of the Swift Movement Talisman. Upon reflection, after finishing that Swift Movement Talisman, his fingertip had inadvertently brushed over its surface and infused it with Awareness or spiritual power. After that, the spiritual power operated autonomously and activated the Swift Movement Talisman.
It seemed that in the future, he needed to be careful when drawing talismans; infusing spiritual power was fine—this way the Spirit Talisman would truly become a Spirit Talisman. But the key was never to activate it carelessly. For example, if it were something like the Golden Protective Talisman, it wouldn't be too bad; at most it would envelop him in golden light for three days without dispersing—just a bit more of a mystical appearance. However, if it were something like the Swift Movement Talisman or similar Spirit Talismans, it would be too painful; experiencing three days without normal life was something Li Hong had fully experienced and absolutely did not want to try again.
This incident signaled that he was about to step into the Initial Stage of Caution. Thinking about this made Li Hong quite happy. Although this kind of Awareness wasn't exactly Fire Spirit power according to his master, any kind of power could still be considered spiritual power. As long as there was officially spiritual power circulating within him, it meant that one day he could form a Golden Core and embark on the path of Golden Core cultivation.
After the effectiveness of the Swift Movement Talisman faded, he spent several days consolidating his cultivation. This Awareness was cool yet warm, becoming increasingly responsive to his commands; with just a thought, it quickly circulated through his meridians and operated the Great Circulation. He joyfully watched as his breaths transformed four times, gradually increasing to five and six transformations.
This was indeed remarkable progress. Reaching nine transformations in a single breath meant he had officially entered the Initial Stage of Caution.
Li Hong exhaled a breath of turbid air and opened his eyes. Despite his improvement in cultivation, he realized he had a significant shortcoming—he actually lacked combat power.
Counting his abilities on his fingers, Li Hong bitterly smiled after a while; aside from the Summoning Technique and being able to use low-level Spirit Talismans, what else did he have?
Low-level Spirit Talismans like the Swift Movement Talisman were practically useless. The terrifying expert in the gray mist defeated a Guardian Master at the Golden Core Stage with a single move. For someone like that, even if he were covered in Swift Movement Talismans, it would be of no use; it would be like child's play.
The Summoning Technique wasn't very practical either. Was he supposed to summon a Yin Spirit to deal with powerful opponents? That would depend on whether there were any Yin Spirits nearby!
Li Hong now had an urgent desire to enhance his combat power. He pondered deeply about what he could currently practice. Suddenly, an idea struck him. Upon reaching the Initial Stage of Caution, he could learn the Spirit Summoning Technique.
Flying Sword! A magical treasure! His breathing quickened involuntarily.
As long as he had a Flying Sword… His mind filled with stars as he envisioned himself soaring through the sky, executing sword techniques to command an immensely powerful Flying Sword to battle enemies between heaven and earth. All he could see was that gigantic flying sword. Without realizing it, his fingers had already formed the sword gesture.
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